A Curious Conversation on College Football
Josh Pate, a well-known podcast host, recently announced that former President Donald Trump would be appearing on his show. Pate defended the decision by stating that the conversation would focus solely on college football, with no political discussions. However, after listening to the interview, it becomes clear that Trump may not have been fully aware of the topic at hand.
The 10-minute interview, which took place in the latest episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, was filled with moments where Pate tried to get Trump to talk about college football. But instead, the conversation often veered off into unrelated topics, following Trump’s whims.
Pate began with a soft question about the state of college football, asking Trump about the structure of the game and what rules could be enforced. Trump responded with a statement about the NFL’s recent changes to kickoffs, which had nothing to do with college football. This was a predictable tangent, as noted by Sam Neumann earlier in the week.
Pate then asked Trump how he decides which college football games to attend. Trump responded by mentioning South Carolina and Georgia, but the answer quickly turned into a praise for Gunner Stockton, the quarterback from Georgia. He also mentioned Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, though neither is currently coaching. The original question went unanswered.
Next, Pate brought up a recent round of golf with Saban and Meyer, asking what they discussed. Trump admitted that their conversations were always about politics, contradicting Meyer’s previous claim that they talked about college football. This led to another humorous moment, as Trump attempted to make a joke about Herschel Walker, a former player who had a disastrous Senate campaign backed by Trump.
Throughout the interview, Pate asked questions that touched on college football, but they often shifted to personal topics. Questions about the First Lady’s documentary, the Lincoln Bedroom, and Trump’s ability to separate personal issues from business were raised. In the end, the conversation didn’t really delve into college football at all.
Pate had initially planned to speak with Trump for 30 or 40 minutes, expecting to dive deep into college football matters such as NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). However, the schedule changed at the last minute, limiting the interview to just 10-15 minutes. Pate also believed that Trump was planning to discuss fixing college football in the near future, which seemed like an odd reasoning.
Despite the short time frame, Pate still spent most of the interview asking non-college football questions. Even the questions that had some connection to the sport turned out to be more about Trump than the sport itself.
It seems that when the President of the United States offers to discuss college football, it’s an automatic “yes.” However, the actual content of the discussion left much to be desired. As Meadowlark Media’s Mike Ryan lamented, the interview felt like a normalization of Trump at a time when many might expect more people to distance themselves from him.
In conclusion, the interview was a mix of softballs and tangents, allowing Trump to speak freely while barely touching on college football. It was an unusual and somewhat confusing segment that left many wondering if the purpose of the interview was truly about the sport or something else entirely.
